Women's Center Scholarships

The scholarship is intended to acknowledge hard work, ambition, and motivation on the part of the recipient, not simply academic success. The scholarship will provide in-state tuition, fees, and a book stipend at UNO to the recipient for the number of full-time semesters remaining until scheduled graduation. This scholarship is advertised in the Spring and awarded in the Fall.

Mrs. Amato explains, "Virginia's life was of the finest quality, and we are proud to be her parents. Her presence impacted many people. Now we would like to honor her memory by using resources available in her Foundation, which was established at the time of her death, to provide a positive impact in others' lives. Virginia was extremely focused and self-driven; she was adventurous and strong, overcoming personal fears to achieve the goals that she had set for herself. We want to extend the Virginia Rosanne Amato Memorial Scholarship to other women with those qualities of motivation, ambition and fortitude."

UNO Scholarship for Women in Computer Science

This scholarship was founded by 1995 BSCS alumna Sabrina D. Farmer, currently VP of Engineering at Google. It covers in-state tuition for the fall and spring semesters and is typically awarded to two recipients per year. As a woman in Computer Science it can feel like you are outnumbered and sometimes alone, but there are many women wishing you success and hope you join them in the very rewarding career a Computer Science degree can bring.

“There were many times I questioned my abilities as a Computer Scientist while in school. The thought of changing paths occurred several times. In the last 15 years I’ve had an incredibly rewarding career that has included working with some of the best and brightest and traveling the world. I’m currently at Google and constantly finding challenges and problems to solve. This scholarship was created to encourage women to stick with this career because while there are challenges, the rewards are tremendous.”

The Francine Foreman Women in STEM Memorial Scholarship

The Francine Foreman Women in STEM Memorial Scholarship is a one-time award of $1000 towards tuition in the fall semester of the academic year. The scholarship is available to women students registered at UNO, who have completed at least one year of college and have declared a major in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) field. The scholarship is being offered in honor and remembrance of Ms. Francine Foreman.

Francine Foreman was a trailblazer for women working in STEM fields. Graduating from Newcomb College of Tulane University in 1961 with a degree in math, Ms. Foreman began her career as a computer programmer for IBM and worked on NASA’s Apollo Program. She went on to work for Entergy New Orleans, and after her retirement she volunteered at the Chalmette Public Library. Ms. Foreman frequently noted that she could not have attended Tulane had she not received a scholarship, and she specified that a portion of her estate should be set aside as a financial award to assist other women pursuing careers in the STEM fields.

An applicant must:

• Be a registered, female undergraduate at UNO, 18 years of age or older.
• Have completed at least 24 hours of college courses towards a degree with a declared major in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) discipline.
• Have a minimum 2.5 G.P.A. at the time of the award.
• Exhibit academic dedication.

A recipient must:

• Maintain full-time standing (no fewer than 12 hours during a regular semester) during the semester she is receiving the award.
• Remain in good standing at the university.
• Maintain her major in a STEM field during the semester she is receiving the award.

The Jacquelene (Jackie) Seal Book Award

The Jacquelene (Jackie) Seal Book Award is offered by the UNO Student Support Services (SSS) program and provides $250 to a woman student. Preference is given to applicants who are current and active participants with the SSS program. Jackie was a very active student with SSS. Days before her scheduled May 2000 graduation, she became a fatal victim of domestic violence. The SSS program offers this award in memory of Jackie and her strong commitment to succeed academically in the face of many hardships. This academic year, one award will be offered each semester, fall and spring. A student may receive this award for only one semester.

Each applicant for the book award must:

• be a registered woman student at the University of New Orleans
• be an undergraduate student
• be in full- or part-time standing (no less than six hours)
• demonstrate financial need
• demonstrate academic commitment (must not be on academic probation)
• exhibit academic dedication in the face of hardship.

The Rosalind June Backus Endowed Scholarship

Rosalind June Backus (née Speer) was born in a rural town in Kansas in 1940 where food was often hard to come by and education was a luxury for her family. Reading was her escape. Borrowing from the library, she would spend her free time getting lost in a mystery or the wild landscapes of a Louis L’Amour novel. When she graduated from high school, college was far too expensive, so Rosalind worked. She fell in love with Thomas Backus, and they soon married. While raising five children and often working up to three jobs to make ends meet, Rosalind inspired a love of reading and writing in all her children. Though she was able to take a few college classes herself, she was never able to dedicate enough resources to complete a college degree. However, Rosalind’s youngest child graduated from the Creative Writing Workshop at University of New Orleans (UNO) with an MFA in Creative Writing. Sadly, Rosalind did not live to see her daughter earn that diploma as she passed away just days after her 59th wedding anniversary. This scholarship, established in Rosalind’s memory, is meant to uplift and inspire women who may be pursuing a bachelor’s degree after raising a family or working to make ends meet.

This scholarship will be a one-time $500 award in the fall semester.

An applicant must:

• Be a registered undergraduate at UNO, at least 40 years of age at the time of the award. (Incoming freshmen may apply before they are registered, but must be registered in the fall semester following in order to receive the award.)
• Have a minimum 3.0 GPA if she is a continuing student, OR provide a letter of recommendation from an employer or other professional reference if she is an incoming freshman.
• Identify as a woman
• Exhibit academic dedication

A recipient must:

• Be enrolled for at least 12 credit hours during the semester she receives the award.
• Maintain full-time standing (no fewer than 12 hours during a regular semester).
• Maintain at least a cumulative 3.0 G.P.A.

Submitting Your Application

Applicants may submit applications either online OR physically, but applications must be submitted in only one format; do NOT submit part of the application online and part of it physically. Pick one delivery method.

Applicants should collect all material and submit it all at once. If submitting in person, gather hard copies of all required material and submit your application in a large envelope marked with your name and the name of the scholarship for which you are applying. Submit your application packet to the Women’s Center, room 201, Earl K. Long Library by 4 p.m. on April 1, 2024.

If you choose to submit physical scholarship applications, PLEASE print material on ONE side of the paper only, and do NOT staple any pages together.

If submitting your application online, assemble all material for each application as a single Word document or PDF and email the application as an attachment to Lisa Verner, Director, UNO Women’s Center at lverner@uno.edu. Name each file you are attaching with your last name and the name of the scholarship for which you are applying, for example: BroussardAmato.docx or RodriguezForeman.pdf. Please note: likely the best way to do this is to collect physical copies of all material and scan them into a single PDF.

PLEASE NOTE: if you are applying for more than one scholarship, each scholarship requires a separate, COMPLETE application. Do NOT put your transcript or letters of recommendation in one file or one packet and then attach a note saying “please use the LORs in my Amato Scholarship file for my Foreman application also.” Each physical application and each electronically submitted application must be complete.